SEBASTIAN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas voters in Sebastian County will have a pair of candidates to choose from in the non-partisan judicial race for the role of Prosecuting Attorney in District 12.
Incumbent Daniel Shue has held the position since 2009. He has over 30 years of experience as a prosecutor and has tried over 100 jury cases, including nine capital murder trials.
“I am the only candidate with the experience to continue the hard work of being a minister of justice for Sebastian County. Ever since I first came to the Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as an Intern, I have thought it was the best job in the world because I get to go to work every day to do justice, fight crime and stand up for the victims of crime. I still have the same enthusiasm for the work that I had as an Intern, Deputy and Chief Deputy and, for the last 13 years as the elected Prosecuting Attorney. I have always had an excellent working relationship with our local law enforcement, and have been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion. Prosecuting Attorney is the only elected position that I have ever sought!”
Shue also cited his work on local boards, commissions and committees.
“My duties are three-fold: seek the truth, protect the innocent, and convict the guilty,” he told KNWA. “I must also focus on crime prevention, sentencing alternatives, building partnerships with citizens in the community, and prioritizing the rights of crime victims.”
His opponent is Mosie Boyd, founder of the True Grit law firm in Fort Smith and the River Valley Economic Development Council. She has been a small business owner for over 12 years, she has a master’s degree in National Security leadership from Georgetown and the focus of her campaign is community safety.
For over a decade, she has worked with Arkansas police chiefs and other law enforcement leaders, including the Helena-West Helena Task Force and the Arkansas State Drug Czar.
“The key concept is to work as a team, including faith community leaders, family members of offenders, law enforcement and community service providers,” she said. “After inviting offenders into a meeting at the police department, the team stands shoulder to shoulder and tells the offenders enough is enough. We don’t want you harming our community, killing people with drugs, and we’re going to do everything we can to hold you accountable.”
Her vision for addressing the future of justice in Sebastian County includes addressing the opioid epidemic and working toward a more inclusive department, noting that currently 16 of 16 prosecuting attorneys in the county are listed as white.
“I believe we can improve safety and fairness by implementing the Don’t Shoot and Drug Market Intervention strategies,” she told KNWA. “And the better job we do of ensuring the appearance of fairness in our justice system, the more we can ask our community leaders to step up to work as a team with law enforcement to hold offenders accountable.”
